


maybe we won't make it far (our worries make no sense)

by etherealyouns



Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, literally nothing makes sense I'm sorry, mild description of panic attacks, seungseok gay, seungseok stop being whipped for each other challenge failed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-07 00:22:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20515952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/etherealyouns/pseuds/etherealyouns
Summary: Several more days pass and Seungyoun wakes up one day to find three more flower bulbs budding from his head. He has a class to attend in half an hour, but he really could care less as he inspects his newest extensions. Two of the three had grown behind his right temple and the other one popped out just adjacent to the first white bud. All three buds are smaller, with twisting petals this time around and Seungyoun wonders if they are even the same flowers.





	maybe we won't make it far (our worries make no sense)

**Author's Note:**

> The title is taken from The Rose' California, it's such a fun song.
> 
> This is my first time writing again after two years, because seungseok really is _ that _ powerful.
> 
> The work has been beta-ed and looked over by the most wonderful [stereoslash](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stereoslash/pseuds/stereoslash) ! (Thank you nik I love you so much <3)

There’s a single flower budding from Seungyoun’s head.

He’s been puzzled over it ever since, wonders if it is even possible for it to happen at all as he stares at his own reflection through the mirror. Every time he does that, the white bud stares back at him; its thin, immaculate petals as sure as the sun rising every morning. 

An entire week  has passe d after he first noticed its existence, but nothing really happened. It isn’t as if there is pain or discomfort around the area where the bud grows, so when Wooseok told him to get it checked, Seungyoun just brushed it off with a joke.

It’s funny, he thinks. The elegance and delicacy of a single entity resting just above his left ear sticking out against the rest of him. Seungyoun is broad and chaotic, all jagged edges and untrimmed bangs framing his entire being. If anything, Wooseok would definitely suit the bizarre situation better. His entire existence is made of ethereal yet sturdy blocks, and Seungyoun sometimes catches himself wondering what the view would be like if he could ever gets Wooseok to wear flowers as his crown.

✿

“Does it hurt if you try to pluck it out?” Yohan questions as they are settling down in their seats for data analytics. Seungyoun yawns- morning classes are really the worst of classes.

“I’ve tried thrice already and yeah, it feels like someone is pulling your skin out,” he answers just as Wooseok takes the seat next to him and offers him a canned coffee. Yohan giggles; the mischievous kind that he always does before he tries something funny so Wooseok prepares to immediately swat his reaching hand away.

“Don’t even try, Kim Yohan,” Wooseok mutters without looking and Seungyoun laughs as Yohan rubs at the sting.

“Mean, Wooseok hyung. Seungyoun hyung didn’t even say anything.”

✿

Several more days pass and Seungyoun wakes up one day to find three more flower bulbs budding from his head. He has a class to attend in half an hour, but he really could care less as he inspects his newest extensions. Two of the three had grown behind his right temple and the other one popped out just adjacent to the first white bud. All three buds are smaller, with twisting petals this time around and Seungyoun wonders if they are even the same flowers.

✿

The look on Wooseok’s face is indescribable when he appears in front of Seungyoun’s room hours later. 

“I thought you were sick!” Wooseok almost half shouts as Seungyoun closes the door behind them. Seungyoun just laughs in response, one hand going to rub the back of his neck, sheepish. “I wasn’t,” he says, and when Wooseok turns around to look at him, “-but this happened and I guess I just spent the last three hours being too damn confused.”

Wooseok stares at the spots pointed by Seungyoun’s fingers and automatically holds the other’s head, bringing the both of them to sit on Seungyoun’s sad excuse of a bed. Seungyoun stays quiet under Wooseok’s care, letting tender fingers gently move his head as they want.

“It tickles when you touch them,” he finally says.

“And it’s painful when you try to pull them out,” Wooseok replies, finally dropping his hold of Seungyoun’s head only to look at him straight in the eyes. “Pretty sure they have nerves, Seungyoun. Let’s get it checked, please. At least let Seungwoo hyung look at it.”

Seungyoun frowns. Wooseok is always painted so pretty with exquisite smiles and chasmic eyes and to see him painted with extended worry and wavering eyes instead makes Seungyoun want to pull him close and wash the muddy colours away. More so at knowing that he is the reason for Wooseok’s concern. 

So he finally agrees to the request, urgently needing to see Wooseok flourish in glittering colours again rather than seeking out explanations of what is actually happening to him. He’s pretty sure no one has the answer to that anyway.

By the time he actually meets up with Seungwoo, there’s a trail of white buds littering the circumference of his head; forming an actual flower crown. It’s all quite comical to see, Seungyoun thinks. His head now matches the muted interior of the clinic consultation room. Two weeks ago if someone were to tell him that he’s going to have actual flowers being a distinct physical part of him, Seungyoun would’ve definitely give them  _ the  _ look. Branches and sticks maybe, definitely not flowers.

And just as expected, Seungwoo doesn’t have any explanation for the occurence befalling him. Seungwoo does however  prescribe him with painkillers just in case anything unforeseen happens and Seungyoun leaves the clinic with an address saved into the notes application on his phone.

✿

Seungyoun feels frantically torn. 

He really, really wants to run up three flights of stairs and  punch in the code to Wooseok’s room that he had memorized by heart but the rational part of him is fighting the urge; reminding him that Wooseok is on a date with Jinhyuk, and that this is his first date in a long while and as his best friend Seungyoun would give him all the space in the world. 

This rational part of him takes control for a good 10 minutes, and Seungyoun could feel his ragged breaths becoming slow and somewhat uniform again- that is until he catches his own faint reflection from the sliding door to his veranda and Seungyoun panics again and he really, really can’t get ahold of himself so he took off from his room,  climbed up three flights of stairs and  stopped himself before his fingers could even so much as touch the keypads to Wooseok’s room.

It’s okay, Seungyoun tries to convince himself. He’ll be fine just staying outside.

So he closes his eyes and tries to count petals in a made-up garden.

When Wooseok comes back, it’s already two in the morning and Seungyoun had passed out on the floor, his large body all curled up from the cold.

“Seungyoun,” he hears Wooseok’s voice reaching out and feels his hands softly tapping his shoulder.

He tries to open one eye.

“Wooseok-ie,” he says as he struggles to sit up. Wooseok ushers him up to his feet and holds onto him as he leads them inside.

“Where’s Jinhyuk? Did he leave because of me? Oh god, I’m so sorry this won’t happen again I sw-”

“Seungyoun, shut up,” Wooseok yanks Seungyoun’s chin so that they can properly look at each other in the eyes. “Jinhyuk left after sending me up until the lobby. Did you seriously think I’m going to invite him inside? On our first date?” he questions sternly, but Seungyoun knows better than to think there’s malice hinted in there somewhere. 

Wooseok guides them to sit on his bed, hand still holding onto Seungyoun’s chin and it is quite an awkward position to be in but Wooseok has the strangest hunch that Seungyoun would run out the moment he lets go.

(The situation is ridiculous for the both of them, really.)

“So what is it,” Wooseok says; tone more demanding than it is inquiring.

“...this happened,” Seungyoun answers, timid.

This?

Then Wooseok sees it. Sees the pristine white and the small yellow patches in the middle of each bundle; marvels at every five lush petals and a couple of green peeking out in between strands of jet black hair. 

The flowers on Seungyoun’s head  are finally  _ blooming _ ,  except for the slightly larger bud behind Seungyoun’s left ear. It’s the first of the bunch to appear, Wooseok recalls.

“They’re beautiful,” Wooseok says, bringing his eyes to search Seungyoun’s face. “How do you feel?”

Seungyoun takes a couple of beats to think, and Wooseok laces their fingers together to encourage him.

“I don’t know, Wooseok,” Seungyoun lets out and then pauses, and Wooseok still plays with his fingers. “I couldn’t breathe at first, and I really don’t know why. I don’t know if they scare me- I mean- what is there to be scared off in the first place right? But I couldn’t sort my feelings out and that-  that probably made me panic and I came here without thinking-”

“-okay,” Wooseok interjects. Seungyoun tilts his head to one side, an eyebrow arching in confusion and Wooseok could’ve sworn he saw one of the flowers wilting just the tiniest bit.

“I say we go to sleep now, and we’ll sort out your feelings together in the morning when you’re calmer,” Wooseok smiles, genuine.

Seungyoun considers this for a moment.

“In the morning-” he starts, “-would you come with me somewhere?”

✿

The address that Seungwoo gave him points out to a location that is a three-hour drive outside of Seoul. 

“Is there something on my face, Wooseok-nim? Are you too swept over by my beauty to focus on the GPS and directions? You’re supposed to be my co-pilot and not my fan, god. Jinhyuk would be hurt when he finds out.”

Wooseok removes his eyes from Seungyoun’s profile and pouts petulantly. It’s hard to do when the flowers adorning Seungyoun’s head that were blooming just hours ago are now shut again. Just whatever happened in between them sleeping and waking up?

“Yeah? The last time I checked you’re just dumb, not deaf. You can hear the GPS loud and clear anyway.”

The nursery is tucked away in a small town surrounded by mountains, and Seungyoun marvels at how picturesque everything looks while Wooseok stands beside him quietly, marvelling at something else entirely. 

They walk into the shop by the nursery not really knowing what to expect, but the cheery high-schooler behind the counter takes them by surprise anyway.

“Oh? ’m sorry but my gran passed away last month,” Hyeongjun - as it says on his name tag - says with heavily accented words, facial expressions uncannily resembling those of a kicked puppy. It’s peculiar, Seungyoun thinks.  Neither of them had said anything but Hyeongjun responded as if he knows exactly what they are there for (and even mentions someone’s death?). Then again, Seungyoun has had plenty of peculiar for the past two weeks.

“We’re not here to buy flowe-” Wooseok wants to clarify but Hyeongjun interrupts him almost as quickly, “-I know. Ya wanna ask ‘bout that, right?”

‘That’ being the anomaly on Seungyoun’s head. 

“We came a long way,” Seungyoun sighs, “-do you by any chance know anything about this?”

Hyeongjun seems reluctant at first, but eventually goes out of the counter and leads them to a wooden table by the window where he politely asks them to sit down.

“These are moonflowers, and they only bloom at night,” is the first thing he says as he timidly points to Seungyoun’s head. 

The rest of the talk goes by in a bit of a blur to Seungyoun. Hyeongjun throws in an apology between every three or four breaths and tells the story that has been passed down in his family for generations; of a woman who grows asters from her exposed skin. To every person who ever received the flower was great wealth and prospering health until one day, the asters that were plucked never grew again. It went on until there were no more asters blooming on her skin, except for one night blooming cereus on the crown of her head. “It’s a flower that blooms only once in its lifetime!” Hyeongjun says with the greatest wonder twinkling in his eyes.

Like all lores, the tale ends tragically with the woman dying after plucking out her finally blooming cereus and giving it to a man she loved.

Seungyoun, despite the rough edges and disorderly appearance, is pretty good at concealing his emotions. He can’t really say the same about his best friend though.

“And how can this story help my friend, supposedly?” Wooseok’s voice came sounding more annoyed than he had intended, and he does feel the tiniest bit of guilt when Hyeongjun produces his kicked puppy look again.

“I told ya earlier that my gran passed away didn’t I. She’s the one ‘s been dealing with customers like you,” Hyeongjun pouts and Seungyoun instinctively outstretches an arm to pat his back, despite feeling a bit disappointed at going this far from the city only to gain almost nothing.

Hyeongjun walks them back to their car, and stops Seungyoun from going in soon as he spots something among the flowers on his head.

“This,” he points to the bud behind Seungyoun’s left ear, “-’s a night blooming cereus. I didn’t notice it earlier because it looks similar to the rest of the moonflowers.”

Seungyoun brings a hand to touch the mentioned flower.

“Oh! And there’s a really amazin’ moonflower patch growing by the mountains. If you’re free to drop by sometimes I can show ya the trail that leads there,” Hyeongjun adds before they bid their goodbyes.

“You don’t really hate the kid, do you?”

“Not as much as I hate you, yeah.”

✿

Seungyoun is waiting for his McDonalds order to be completed the first time it happens. A small girl keeps on tugging at her parent’s sleeves, pointing in his direction. Seungyoun pretends like he didn’t notice at first, far too tired to deal with questions that even he himself doesn’t have the answers to.

But the girl and her parent pad closer, and Seungyoun really have no choice but to look at them. As soon as he does, he gets a bit taken aback at first because instead of amusement he sees admiration sparkling from the girl’s face, her tiny fists shyly bumping against Seungyoun’s thighs.

“She thinks the flowers are lovely,” is all the parent says and it has Seungyoun immediately kneeling down to match the girl’s eye level.

“That’s so nice of you. Thank you,” and he doesn’t know how he does it then; hand absent-mindedly reaching up to pluck a flower out and placing it in the girl’s open palms.

“You’re saying it didn’t hurt at all?” 

“Yes, Wooseok, I told you over text already. Now put down the phone because I don’t want Jinhyuk after my ass for interrupting your date.”

“Look at you, being ungrateful and all. Jinhyuk isn’t that petty. He’s smiling as we speak.”

“Yeah, okay whatever. Bye Wooseok-ie, get back safe.”

“Bye Seungyoun-ie, don’t stay up too late.”

✿

The next night Seungyoun finds himself rolling in Wooseok’s bed, already giving up on an assignment that is way past its deadline. Sighing, Wooseok softly lifts Seungyoun’s head up and gently places him on his lap.

“You still have to send the work in, Seungyoun-ie.”

Seungyoun begrudgingly reaches out for his phone and opens up the required reading material. Wooseok, seemingly satisfied that Seungyoun is actually doing something rather than nothing at all, proceeds to thread his slim fingers in his best friend’s thick hair, still adoring how striking the contrast between the white petals and his dark strands are. They’re blooming now, all of them except for the cereus that still remains shut;  its secrets kept hidden. 

Carefully, he tries to tug on one of the flowers. The motion has Seungyoun looking up at him; eyebrows scrunched together and thin lips brought into a pout and Wooseok has to stop himself from thinking of him in any adjectives that he shouldn’t.

“Did it hurt?” he asks instead. Seungyoun answers with a vigorous nod of the head. 

Strange, Wooseok thinks. Maybe the flower that Seungyoun plucked out yesterday was meant to fall out anyway.

Across the span of the next two weeks, Seungyoun loses a couple more of the flowers on his head. Wooseok is there to witness it two times out of all the occasions. Like some sort of an odd chain of events; they all happened at night; when the flowers are blooming and, like some sort of even odder chain of events; they all happened when a party so much as praise their beauty.

Seungyoun gives them away so open-heartedly, not really sure if it is because the genuine look of happiness on the other’s face as he places the flowers in their hand, or if he secretly feels relieved that in a way, the flowers aren’t at all a permanent extension.

The plucked flowers never grew back.

“It’s as if they choose to be with someone who appreciates their beauty,” Seungyoun mutters through a mouthful of pizza.

“Gross, Seungyoun,” Wooseok says as he reaches out for a tissue and immediately wipes the corner of Seungyoun’s mouth. The older between the two just chuckles through the entire ordeal.

“But I actually googled it the other day,” he says after Wooseok resumes eating, “-do you know what moonflowers symbolize?” 

In all honesty, Wooseok had googled its possible meanings from the day they went back after the little bedtime story session they had with Hyeongjun, but at the risk of giving Seungyoun the impression that he cares more than he should, Wooseok nods anyway.

“There are different accounts, but wikipedia says they represent ‘dreaming of love’ Wooseok-ie. Isn’t that the most awkward thing to ever come out of me?” Seungyoun laughs and Wooseok thinks he looks, well, breathtaking. Despite having his cheeks stuffed with pizza, the front of his shirt stained with sauce and crumbs littered around his mouth. It’s all a little too dizzying for Wooseok, a little too worrying even and Wooseok blames it all on the flowers. 

Yes, Wooseok thinks. It must be the flowers.

Wooseok still mulls over the flower when he goes out for a movie date with Jinhyuk the next day. He never mentions it, but the earthy scent has been enveloping Seungyoun for weeks now and it rubs on his sheet whenever Seungyoun camps in it and it’s all really quite overwhelming.

✿

Seungyoun feels like drowning. 

The only time when he had ever seen Wooseok cry was when they were nine, and some burly kids from an apartment two blocks over had thrown his pet cat into a drain. Some assholes of kids they were. Seungyoun remembers feeling utterly helpless as he watched Wooseok’s small figure hunched over, sobbing uncontrollably knowing both of them were unable to do anything to save the cat. The drain was well over six feet deep and them, being the kids that they were, could have done nothing except for listening to the cat’s cries. Seungyoun could still hear the sound in his nightmares sometimes.

So when Wooseok crashes into him between the shelves at the library, sobs muffled between his shirt, Seungyoun is instantly reminded of the worst of times. 

“Wooseok-ie- hey- it’s alright,” Seungyoun says, voice hushed as he tries to calm his best friend down. Wooseok clings onto his shirt tighter, and Seungyoun makes them rest against the shelf, holding Wooseok in a secure space.

Wooseok’s cries die down after several minutes, and when he finally looks up to Seungyoun through puffy eyes; Seungyoun feels a heavy heartache washing over him. It’s  that muddy paint again, he thinks.

“What’s wrong, Wooseok-ie?” he softly asks, one hand going to brush Wooseok’s damp bangs away. 

Wooseok then explains, through hitched breaths and broken words, how the proposal for his third year paper was copied by another asshole of a student, and since the faculty is too incompetent  to determine who between them actually copied the other, Wooseok is to start all over again. Suddenly Seungyoun sees red, because he knows  firsthand how Wooseok had painstakingly came up with the proposal; all the sleepless nights and long drives and now because of some asshole and incompetent management Wooseok is on the verge of extending another semester just to finish his paper. 

He pulls Wooseok into another hug, whispering words of comfort and encouragement until Wooseok pulls away and looks up again.

“I don’t want you to graduate without me,” Wooseok breathes, and Seungyoun could just hear the tears threatening to spill again.

And then as if on cue, Wooseok sees the moonflowers littered on Seungyoun’s head open up, each one carefully blooming. Like a summer rain, watching the event unfolds somehow distracts Wooseok from his current pain. He stares still, waiting for all of them to open up fully.

“You’re beautiful,” Wooseok blurts after a while. Seungyoun finds it a very funny thing to say because Wooseok really should’ve  _ seen _ himself. Wooseok doesn’t need a flower crown on his head for the world to turn heads for him.

Wooseok thinks he faintly sees blush showing up on Seungyoun’s full cheeks before Jinhyuk’s voice sends them both apart.

“Wooseok, baby, what’s wrong? Yohan told me you came into the library crying,” Jinhyuk says as he crouches down on the floor, one hand going to caress Wooseok’s tear-stricken face. Seungyoun takes it as his cue to leave.

And he does, choosing to ignore the way the flowers on his head  feel like they’re constricting him and promptly missing the way Wooseok follows him with the corners of his eyes.

That night, one of the flowers falls out on its own, without any praise and without Seungyoun even so much as brushing against them and it sends him into a panic, like the one he had during the first night his flowers bloomed. Only this time, climbing up three flights of stairs isn’t an option because he knows Wooseok is in there somewhere, sharing a blanket with Jinhyuk.

So he closes his eyes and counts petals in a made up garden, willing himself to calm down as best as he can.

When he wakes up the next morning, he throws the flower that fell out his veranda.

✿

Seungyoun and Wooseok never  get the chance to  spend time with just the two of them for the following five days. It’s always Seungyoun and Wooseok and Yohan, or Seungyoun and Wooseok and Jinhyuk, or never even Seungyoun and Wooseok at all. Sometimes the flowers feel like they’re constricting Seungyoun too tight that it gave Seungyoun a physical headache.

Three more flowers fall out.

✿

“Seungyoun, open up. I know you’re in there.”

Wooseok hears the distant sound of something being knocked off the table, and five seconds after that, the door opens to reveal Seungyoun; face as worn as the hoodie he’s sporting. 

Wooseok narrows his eyes and invites himself in, settling on Seungyoun’s bed while Seungyoun stands by the door still, awkwardly scratching behind his ear.

“Your crown is missing flowers,” Wooseok fusses, motioning Seungyoun to sit beside him. He dislikes the atmosphere. Seungyoun is making him feel as if they haven’t already seen each other at their worst.

Seungyoun replies with the most pathetic chuckle Wooseok has ever heard from him, telling him that he’s been giving them away to people as usual. Lies, all of them. Seungyoun has always been bad at lying. 

So Wooseok brings his hands to each side of Seungyoun’s face; forcing Seungyoun to look at him, forcing Seungyoun to keep the lies at bay.

“I don’t like it when you lie to me.”

Seungyoun really, really feels like crying. He hates himself for being so weak, so disorganized and so tattered. He’s sorted out his feelings for a while now, but it might’ve been just a tad too late.

“They fell out on their own,” he gives in, bringing his own hands to rest atop of Wooseok’s. At least he’s telling part of the truth, right?

Wooseok softly sighs and gently shakes Seungyoun’s hands off his, so that he could move them to inspect the other’s head. 

“Did they hurt?”

((No.))

“Are you hurt?”

((Yes.))

Wooseok pulls Seungyoun down into a hug, adjusting their position so that Wooseok can rest his head on the pillow and Seungyoun can feel safe between his arms. He gently taps Seungyoun’s back, smiling when he feels Seungyoun own hands wrapping around his waist, relaxing against him. Wooseok is really close to the flowers now, and the smell is all a bit too intoxicating but they’re fine again and that is all that matters.

✿

“I broke up with Jinhyuk,” is what Wooseok says nonchalantly when Seungyoun comes to pick him up the next Thursday. 

Wooseok watches as Seungyoun’s eyes grow comically wide, his hands automatically going to cup Wooseok’s face, scanning them.

“Are you okay? Did you two have a fight? Do yo-”

“-Seungyoun,” Wooseok interjects. He removes the smaller hands on his face and holds them tight by his side.

“Drive me to McDonalds.”

“But are you-”

“I’m fine, I promise.”

✿

Sometimes, relationships work in a funny way, Wooseok learns. Jinhyuk had been good to him, really good in fact. He was attentive to the smallest details, caring and understanding and really goes out of his way to provide for Wooseok. It isn’t as if Wooseok was always the only one receiving either. Wooseok did his best to cater to Jinhyuk’s wishes and they talked a lot too, sharing similar interests.

It’s just that, against all the stars in the universe, some things just aren’t meant to work out.

At the very least, they didn’t part on bad terms with each other.

✿

Seungyoun really didn’t know what to expect when Wooseok forces him into a white sweater and steals his car keys, declaring that he’ll be the one driving today.

Halfway through the journey though, Seungyoun recognizes where the highways leads to.

“I gave away three flowers last night,” he starts feeling the need to say something.

“I’ve noticed,” Wooseok answers. He realized that he can now count the number of flowers on Seungyoun’s head with his fingers.

Seungyoun fiddles with the hem of his sleeves for a couple of seconds before timidly muttering, “-do you think I’ll die too once the cereus blooms?”

It has Wooseok almost forcefully stepping on the brake pedal in the middle of the road. 

✿

When they reach the nursery, the sky is already dark blue with faint purple and lilac streaking across. Seungyoun sees Hyeongjun waving at them from the shop like the energetic puppy that he is.

The path towards the moonflower patch isn’t lit, and thankfully Hyeongjun preps them all with a torchlight each. Seungyoun watches in amazement as Hyeongjun skillfully navigates through between branches and vines sticking out here and there, and leaves a mark on hard surfaces just so that they know they are on the correct path.

It takes them a while, but both Seungyoun and Wooseok know that they’ve reached their destination once they see it.

The patches are scattered around a plain, giving the illusion of a calm and collected pool and the flowers glow; their white gleaming brilliantly under the moonlight. 

Hyeongjun leaves them as soon as Seungyoun thanks him, reminding them to follow the marks he left when they wish to go back.

“This is you, Seungyoun-ie,” Wooseok claims as he holds Seungyoun’s hand and brings them to the center of the plains. The night breeze blows past them, encases their thoughts together.

“This… isn’t me Wooseok are you blind? This is breath-taking, and I’m nowhere near the word.”

Wooseok chooses not to answer and instead, pulls out his phone and asks that Seungyoun stays still as he takes a few pictures.

Seungyoun  _ is _ breath-taking in his white sweater, with the remaining flowers on his head a magnificent match to their backdrop, and an even enchanting match to the huge smile he wears on his face.

“I was thinking it’s a shame I didn’t do this when your flower crown  was still full,” Wooseok says when he puts his phone away. Seungyoun just laughs at that.

They sit down on the grass, facing each other.

“I’ve been thinking,” Wooseok begins, taking Seungyoun’s hand in his like he always does, “-don’t you think we’re done running around each other?”

Seungyoun hates the way he visibly jumps at the question. He wishes the darkness is enough to conceal the red he knows is coloring his  cheeks . Wooseok must’ve noticed it too, because then he starts to scoot closer and his hands work to lace their fingers together instead. 

Wooseok says nothing but searches into his eyes.

Seungyoun ducks his head and breaks the eye contact when he thinks it’s too much.

“...did you seriously  drive us out here just to force me to confess to you,” he finally produces, timid.

Wooseok lets go of their hands so he could tip Seungyoun’s face towards him, memorizing each colour on Seungyoun’s face as he does so.

“This is the part where you kiss me and tell me you love me, Seungyoun-ie.”

So Seungyoun does, hands carefully threading in Wooseok’s brown locks before leaning in to take his lips; the touches soft and fleeting and oh god, Seungyoun might’ve forgotten what it’s like to actually kiss someone - and Wooseok must’ve known, because Wooseok knows  _ everything _ \- so Wooseok tilts his head and guides Seungyoun to do the same and they kiss for a while longer.

They break away only for Wooseok to climb and fix his position on Seungyoun’s lap so he can place his arms around Seungyoun’s shoulder, looking down at him through tender eyes.

And then the air went still, and Wooseok sees it, and Seungyoun  _ feels  _ it  unfold down to fractions of seconds.

The night blooming cereus finally  _ blooms _ . It sits prettily behind Seungyoun’s left ear; its numerous petals  unfolding , proud and majestic and Wooseok really, really can’t fathom how gorgeous Seungyoun looks like this.

The overwhelming air lasts for a couple minutes before Seungyoun breaks down in sweat and panic.

“Am I-” he manages, words broken, “-am I going to die?”

Wooseok pulls him close and whispers everything good and softly strokes his back, doing his best to calm Seungyoun down. 

Seungyoun tries to take a deep breath and clings onto Wooseok tighter, this time counting petals in an actual garden.

“Seungyoun-ie.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m going to pluck the cereus out now okay?”

“Okay.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

✿

Two months ago if someone were to tell Seungyoun that he’s about to have flowers growing out of him, Seungyoun would’ve definitely gave them  _ the  _ look. At present, Seungyoun knows that if he is to tell someone that he had flowers growing on his head for two months, they would definitely give him  _ the  _ look. It doesn’t matter, he thinks as he smiles down at his and Wooseok’s interlocked hands. 

There’s a flower crown made of marigolds and mayflowers by his dresser; one that he had to painstakingly make and force Wooseok to wear so they can have matching lockscreens of each other.

(Hyeongjun sent them three texts one day after their last visit; each one containing  a different arrangement of apologies for mistakenly telling them the ending to another lore instead of the correct one. In the correct version, the woman and her lover went on to live a long, joyful life.)

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> /cries/ if you made it till the end, thank you so much for reading! Can't believe I actually finished writing this sobs. I know we all collectively agree that Wooseok is the most beautiful human being to ever exist, so I just wanted to write something about Wooseok admiring Seungyoun's beauty instead ;A;
> 
> If anyone wants to cry about seungseok or hyeongjun's adorable laugh or baby dohyon together I'm on twitter [@starlitcsy](https://twitter.com/starlitcsy) and I have a [cc](https://curiouscat.me/starlitcsy) (haha sweats nervously).
> 
> Or if you wanna go shout to the president herself at [@seungseokhq](https://twitter.com/seungseokhq) and her [cc](curiouscat.me/woodz_) just go and please shower her with lots of love!
> 
> Lastly, seungseok gay <3


End file.
